


i've got you (to make me feel stronger)

by themoviesinourdreams



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Competition, Competition-Set Fic, F/M, Famous Liam Payne, M/M, Non-Famous Harry, Non-Famous Louis Tomlinson, Non-Famous Niall, Non-Famous Zayn Malik, Protective Harry, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-03
Updated: 2019-07-05
Packaged: 2020-06-03 04:56:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19456810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/themoviesinourdreams/pseuds/themoviesinourdreams
Summary: Louis’s never actually watched ‘The Bachelor’ before, but he’s pretty sure contestants aren’t supposed to have sex with each other.Reluctantly, he rolls himself out of Harry’s bed and lands on the floor with a thud. Harry is up in seconds.“What’s wrong, what’s going on?” He notices Louis lying on the floor. “Lou, are you okay?”“Yeah I’m fine,” and Louis is so fucking gone that it’s not even a little bit okay, “absolutely fine.” Just fucking fine.OR the bachelor au where Louis and Harry fall for each other instead of the actual bachelor





	1. one (is the loneliest number)

**Author's Note:**

> yo, so this is my new fic, i will post everyday (most likely), i have some big plans for this one so i'm excited i really hope you enjoy i love you all

Louis supposes that he should feel fucking honored. He doesn’t, but he supposes that he should.

“Congratulations,” the email says, “you’ve been selected to compete on the first Gay Season of ‘The Bachelor.’”

He’s been selected. Like it’s some kind of fucking honor.

Louis remembers applying more than the interview. The application asked about a million questions and Louis had quit at least three times. He’d had to admit that he was 24 and still lived at home and worked as a substitute teacher at his old elementary school because he was still looking for a more permanent position and that he spent most of his free time babysitting his youngest siblings because he didn’t have a social life to speak of.

The interview had been better, in that it was much shorter, but it had much worse in that Louis had made about 15 bad jokes to try to alleviate the awkward tension. It didn’t work, and Louis had come off the interview entirely sure that his dream of being on the Bachelor would never be realized.

Not that it’s Louis’s dream to be on the Bachelor, because it’s not, he doesn’t even watch the fucking Bachelor, but he’d seen the ad for open applications at two am, and Louis always makes poor decisions at two am, like the time he decided to fuck that gross guy in the bathroom of his favorite gay bar because he looked a little bit like Kurt Cobain and he ended up getting Syphilis – the 1800s called, they want their STD back.

Louis leans back on his heels, pushing the laptop off of his lap. He’s got to stop doing that.

“Shit, I’ve got to stop doing that.”

Maybe he’s been selected to be on the Bachelor as one of those joke contestants. Like he’ll do something super embarrassing and get eliminated on the first episode. 

That would be fucking mortifying. 

\----  
The prospect of actually being on television doesn’t hit Louis until he’s on the plane. He tells this to the flight attendant who gives him a reproachful look. Maybe this is why he can’t make any fucking friends. 

Maybe being on the Bachelor will get him hired as a teacher, you know, add some fluff to his resume. Louis hopes so. He really needs a job. Or maybe he’ll win and he’ll be living it up and then he won’t need a job because he’ll be married to the fucking Bachelor.

Or maybe not. Louis doesn’t exactly have a good track record when it comes to guys. His sex life consists of quickies in the bathrooms of gay bars with guys who can give him syphilis or herpes or gonorrhea. He tried Grindr for a total of eight months, and went on a couple dozen dates. Most ended in a four am walk of shame, but one went down with a bottle of wine thrown at his head, so Grindr wasn’t a very successful endeavor, it seems.

\----  
Harry’s mom signed him up to compete on the Bachelor. He’s pretty sure his sister helped, too. It was non-censual, which is what Harry said during his interview to make sure he didn’t get put on the show. 

Maybe they thought he was joking, because now he’s on a plane, all set to be a contestant on the very first gay season of ‘The Bachelor’. Harry’s stomach hasn’t stopped turning since he received his selection email. He doesn’t know why he’s nervous because he doesn’t want to be on the fucking bachelor, much less win it, so theoretically he shouldn’t be nervous since he doesn’t give a fuck.   
Theory isn’t always practice, though.

Harry works in finance, not because he’s particularly interested in finances, but it pays good money and money is one of Harry’s interests. When Harry was six, and people asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up he always said he wanted to “marry rich”. He still says that, sometimes. It occurs to him that if he wins the Bachelor he will be marrying rich.

So maybe this is not a disaster.

Harry’s love life mostly consists of blind dates that his sister forces him to go on. Unfortunately, half the guys are not actually gay and just doing as a favor to Gemma because they think she’s hot (Gemma has no gaydar, so if someone tells her they’re gay, then they’re gay), and the other half are extremely creepy. Harry remembers the guy who claimed to be a professional cat whisperer and wonders where exactly Gemma finds these men.

Harry does like cats, though. Maybe the future bachelor will like cats. Maybe they’ll bond over being cat people in a dog lover world and maybe that will be enough for them to live happily ever after, or at least happily ever after long enough for Harry to keep the ring. (He’s read the contract and they have to be married for at least two years before he can keep it.)

Harry can be in an unhappy marriage for at least two years, he decides, after all, he went on a juice cleanse for six months, and if he go that long without solids he can do fucking anything.

\----  
Louis looks out the window as the plane descends. He has this important feeling that’s he only ever felt twice. Once when he lost his virginity and the next time when he graduated from university, it’s a feeling of smoking anticipation, the kind a person only gets to feel a handful of times, the kind that means his life is never going to be the same.

This feeling isn’t exactly science though. After he lost his virginity, Louis just kind of felt the same. After he graduated from college, Louis felt absolutely lost.

So maybe this feeling isn’t exactly a good sign, but whatever it is, he’s determined to make the most of it.


	2. two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry and Louis both meet the bachelor and learn their angles. they'll meet next chapter i pinky promise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> listen. i'm sorry. i've been preoccupied. i'm gonna try to be more regular i promise.
> 
> on the good side, i wrote a bomb ass college essay while i was busy so that's gucci. also, ap test scores came out this morning so that was...interesting.

The Bachelor is Liam Payne. 

This shouldn’t be surprising because it’s included in the email information packet that Louis was supposed to read but never did. Louis is taken aback by how handsome Liam Payne is. 

Liam Payne had done moderately well on season whatever of the X-Factor (Louis doesn’t even like that fucking show), and had transferred that into a moderately good singing career, and, eventually, a B-List acting career. 

But no one will deny that Liam is hot. 

Louis is completely zoned out and doesn’t hear a single word that the Production Assistant says; he is too busy drooling over the picture in his hand. 

“Louis?” The PA is American, and pronounces his name Louis, with an emphasis on the s. She sounds like a snake. He doesn’t bother to correct her. 

“Uh…what?” 

She sighs and runs a hand through her thick hair. “They liked your interview a lot, your jokes, your personality. You’re sarcastic, but, like, in a cute way-” she pauses, rubs her hands over her eyes, “Your angle is the cute funny type…um…” she pauses again, then whispers, “like a power bottom I think is the term. I’m not supposed to say that though.” Louis looks at her. 

“It’s okay to say that. I am a power bottom.” 

The PA looks relieved. “Okay well, hi, I’m Ashley, I will be your guide, whenever you have any questions, comments, concerns, anything, I’m assigned to you.”

“What do you do once I leave?”

“Well, hopefully you won’t leave, because I get a bonus if you win, or if you’re one of the most liked contests, which I think you will be. Or at least, you’re supposed to be,” she smiles at him. “We have roles for the contestants, and you’re kinda the Boy-Next-Door, you know, still lives at home, substitute teacher, loves his family, really funny, nice to look at, though-” she pauses, “you’re all nice to look at, really. But once you leave, I’ll either be assigned to another contestant or assist the directors.”

Louis gives her a long look. This is going to be more interesting than he thought. 

“Okay good we’re here,” Ashley says, and the limo comes to a stop. Suddenly, Louis is nervous. He rubs his sweaty palms on his suit. Ashley grabs his wrist. “Don’t do that, you’re supposed to be nonchalant. Just be yourself. He’ll think you’re funny. I promise.”

“Really?” His voice cracks even though he’s not fucking supposed to be nervous. He doesn’t even want to be here, not really.

“I bet my life on it.” Ashley smiles, and Louis decides that he likes her. Louis steps out of the limo and wills his legs to stop shaking, and, by the grace of god or some other deity Louis doesn’t believe in, they do.

He walks up to Liam confidently, and Liam holds out his hand. Louis prays that his palms are no longer dripping with sweat.

“Hey mate, I’m Liam.”

“Oi,” Louis drops Liam’s hand and pushes him lightly on the shoulder, “I could possibly be your husband, so I don’t think you should address me as ‘mate’.” There is mock offense in his voice and Liam laughs. Maybe Ashley was right.

“What should I call you, then?”

“Possible Future Husband has a nice ring to it, actually. But I guess Louis will work,” He winks, “for now.” Liam laughs again. Louis considers this a win.

\----  
“Let me get this straight,” Harry says for about the forth time. “My angle is my sex appeal?” 

The production assistant looks exhausted. “Yes. You’re sexy. You make dirty jokes. Your voice is sultry.”

“But I don’t even like dirty jokes that much. I do like jokes. Did you hear the one about the two muffins in an oven?”

“Yes. You’ve told me that one already. Twice.” Her voice is exasperated and Harry feels bad. But not really. He doesn’t want to be sexy. He just wants to be himself.

“Listen Harry, this is a television show. We have the contestants play to certain angles because they’re entertaining for the audience. It’s not about what you’re like in real life.”

“But it’s about my life. Because like, I’m trying to get Liam Payne to fall in love with me, right? So wouldn’t I want Liam Payne to fall in love with the real me?”

“Okay, that’s really honorable and noble and all that and I have no doubt that your personality is wonderful, but this is a show about viewers and ratings. You have a lot of sex appeal, and the producers want you to play that up.” Harry starts to interrupt, but she cuts him off, “listen, if you make it to the final…five, we’ll start showing more of your sensitive side, okay? When the competition gets down the wire, we’ll let you be your complete self, because then it really is about love and all that. But right now there are 24 men standing between you and marrying Liam Payne and we need a way for you to stand out enough to get to the final five point, okay?”

Harry sighs, because really it’s not this girl’s fault. And she does make a good point. 

“Okay. I guess I can do that.”

Thank god. “Cool, I’m Erin, and I will be here to meet all of your needs. Okay, Harry? And, we’re here.”

Harry’s attempt to saunter out of the limo is more like lumbering, but he walks to Liam Payne in the sexiest way he can.  
“Hi,” Liam says, “I’m Liam.”

“I’m Harry,” he pauses, and tries to think of something memorable to say. “Boxers or briefs?”

“Well,” Liam shifts his weight from side to side. “I’m more of a boxers guy, really. What about you?”

“Oh, I don’t wear underwear,” Harry says, and he swears he hears Erin yell “Jesus Christ, Harry!” from the limo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you liked it, lol, this is completely unedited, harry/louis stuff is coming i promise

**Author's Note:**

> this is just some introduction but there's a lot that will happen also this is 889,999,999 words i pinky promise


End file.
